Another day, another win for the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team. The Badgers travelled to Illinois to take on Northwestern to open Big Ten play, and they dominated running to a 25-18, 25-12, 25-13 sweep.
Roll the clips 🫡 pic.twitter.com/QRo9S3TB4w
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 23, 2023
A Dominant Performance
The first set started out competitive before Badgers took the match over. It was sparked by a kill by Devyn Robinson that was followed by a 6-0 run with Sophomore Gulce Guctekin serving. The Wildcats attempted a comeback, narrowing the gap to 22-16, but kills from Temi Thomas-Ailara and Carter Booth sealed the deal and started off the sweep.
Despite Northwestern’s initial 3-1 lead in the second set, the Wisconsin Badgers swiftly took back any momentum. Julia Orzol’s 8-0 serving streak, featuring two aces, paired with Izzy Ashburn’s 7-0 run, carried Wisconsin to a 25-12 set victory. The momentum continued in the third set with the Badgers leading throughout and clinching the set and match at 25-13.
8-0 run for BUCKY 🔥
Set 2
UW 11
NU 4 pic.twitter.com/oktK5OqcCJ— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 23, 2023
Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball by the Numbers
The Wisconsin Badgers hit .367 while holding Northwestern to .079, led by Devyn Robinson with a team-high 11 kills, and .556 hitting percentage. Badgers volleyball ended the third set running a .476 percentage. In contrast, Northwestern’s team high was 4 kills, which was done by four different players.
The Badgers recorded 8 service aces, led by Julia Orzol with two. She was also responsible for 12 digs, just behind Izzy Ashburn at 13 for the team high in digs. Northwestern was unable to answer anything that the Wisconsin Badgers threw at them.
The Badgers are slated to host Indiana on Sunday.
